Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-31

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The plans below provide comparison between the café before it was improved and the current structure after it was redesigned.

Overall, the previous café infrastructure has few areas as compared to the current structure. The table and chairs, kitchen, toilets maintained its position while other areas were changed and some were added that beautify the Café.

In the previous design, the café only has 6 parts but then ut was beautified to attract more costumers. The serving areas was replaced with just hot meals while the staff dining rooms were made into two rooms(take away and coffee bar). The table and chairs, toilets and kitchen were not changed at all. Furthermore, the bin was refurbished to a recycling bin. There is also an additional side bar near hhe hot meals.

Additionaly, they expanded the area and added a barbecue site with multiple outdoors seating for costumers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main purpose of the plans and give a broad overview that the kitchen, seating and toilets remain while other facilities change. You also report several accurate developments, including the conversion of the staff rooms into takeaway and coffee areas, the replacement of the bin with recycling bins, and the addition of outdoor seating and a barbecue. However, some details are unclear or inaccurate: the serving counter became a hot-meals counter, rather than the serving area being replaced “with just hot meals,” and the new salad bar is misidentified as a “side bar near the hot meals.” The overview is also vague, and key changes such as the new southern doors are omitted. The response is 146 words, below the required 150, and several features are underdeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and paragraphs describing the former and current café. This gives the reader a basic route through the comparison, and linking expressions such as “Overall,” “Furthermore,” and “Additionally” help connect points. However, the progression within the final paragraph is limited, and the description does not consistently organise changes by location or by what was retained versus added. “The table and chairs, toilets and kitchen were not changed at all” repeats the overview rather than advancing the account. Some references are also unclear, particularly “There is also an additional side bar,” which does not clearly identify the salad bar. Grouping the changes more systematically and using precise references would make the cohesion less mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for describing a redesigned space, including “serving areas,” “staff dining rooms,” “recycling bin,” “barbecue site,” and “outdoors seating.” This provides enough basic language to communicate the main comparison. However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural for a plan description: “beautified” and “attract more costumers” introduce an unsupported purpose, while “side bar” does not accurately name the salad bar. “Expanded the area” is also vague when the plans show outdoor seating added beyond the southern wall. Spelling errors such as “costumers” and “Additionaly,” along with the typo “hhe,” reduce accuracy. Aim for neutral, location-specific terms such as “added,” “converted,” and “outdoor dining area.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the contrast in “The table and chairs, toilets and kitchen were not changed at all” and the clause beginning “while the staff dining rooms…”. The main ideas are generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. In “the café only has 6 parts,” the tense should match the past description (“had”), and “the serving areas was replaced” has a subject–verb agreement problem. “The table and chairs, kitchen, toilets maintained its position” needs a passive construction and plural agreement, such as “remained in their original positions.” There are also article and number issues in “an additional side bar” and “multiple outdoors seating.” Proofread verb forms, agreement and sentence punctuation, while varying sentence structures more accurately.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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